Days after his co-headlining tour with rapper Jay-Z [ tickets ] was called off, R&B singer R. Kelly [ tickets ] has filed a $75 million lawsuit that charges that Jay-Z and his production company deliberately sabotaged the tumultuous outing.

In the suit, filed Monday (11/1) in New York, Kelly accuses the rapper and Marcy Projects of "intentionally causing a series of production snafus and then physically assaulting R. Kelly and some members of his entourage with pepper spray," said a statement issued late Monday (11/1) by Kelly's camp. "It also levels breach-of-contract charges against Jay-Z, Marcy Projects, and Atlanta Worldwide Touring Company, the tour promoter."

The suit claims that Kelly's late arrival to the tour's Sept. 30 stop, his absence from its Oct. 1 Cincinnati stop and technical problems at the Oct. 23 show in St. Louis were all due to "intentional sabotage by Jay-Z [ tickets ]'s lighting director, acting at the behest of Jay-Z."

Kelly claims he hired his own lighting director to solve the problems, but "Jay-Z's lighting director continued to cause problems" by missing lighting cues.

According to the suit, Kelly's lighting director took over at the tour's Oct. 29 concert in Uniondale, NY, and "the show went off flawlessly that night." But Kelly claimed he saw two men with guns at the following night's show in New York City, and left the stage. A search failed to turn up a weapon, but Kelly and two of his bodyguards allegedly were attacked with pepper spray as Kelly tried to return to the stage.

The co-headlining tour was canceled the next day, and Jay-Z performed the remainder of the tour's New York City-area dates with various special guests taking Kelly's slot on the bill.

Kelly issued a statement on Monday (11/1) claiming that he was "ready, willing and able" to resume the tour, despite the problems.

A statement issued by Island Def Jam Records on Monday blamed the tour cancellation on Kelly's "lack of professionalism and unpredictable behavior" during the trek.

"Mr. Kelly has canceled three performances with less than 24 hours’ notice and has delayed multiple shows by hours," the statement said. ... [At] a sold-out Madison Square Garden Show, Mr. Kelly made a statement from the stage claiming members of the audience were waving guns. Jay-Z sees that statement as the equivalent of screaming 'fire' in a crowded theater and was unable to continue with someone whose actions could potentially create a dangerous situation.

"Later that evening, on New York radio station Hot 97, R. Kelly [ tickets ] admitted that he didn't actually see any guns. Jay will not allow his fans and touring personnel to be subjected to an unsafe environment created by his co-headliner. Only the professionalism of Jay-Z and other entertainers, including Usher and Mary J. Blige on Friday prevented a disaster and saved the evening."

Though there was speculation that Jay-Z would complete remaining dates on the tour--which was scheduled to run through Nov. 28--by lining up special guests to fill Kelly's slot, those plans hadn't been confirmed at press time.

Rumors of friction between Jay-Z and R. Kelly began to bubble up earlier this month, coming to a head Oct. 23 in St. Louis when Kelly "stepped into the crowd and walked to the rear of the arena floor, where he got into a heated argument near the soundboard, all captured on the video screens," according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "When Kelly got back to the stage, he took a bow and wasn't seen again."

Following that incident--which came two days after the New York Daily News published in its Rush & Molloy gossip column a quote attributed to a "well-placed source" who claimed that Jay-Z and R. Kelly were not speaking to each other offstage--the tour's stops in Milwaukee and Hartford were canceled due to "technical problems," organizers said.

Jay-Z and R. Kelly were originally due to tour together following the 2002 release of their first collaborative album, "Best of Both Worlds," but those plans were scuttled after Kelly was charged with multiple counts of child pornography. The singer had to gain permission from a judge to embark on the current tour.

Last week, Jay-Z and Kelly issued a follow-up to their 2002 debut. Titled "Best of Both Worlds: Unfinished Business," the set houses 11 tracks, including the singles "Big Chips" and "Don't Let Me Die."